Alabama Coach Nick Saban stalks the field waiting for a review during the first half of the Alabama vs UTAM NCAA football game, Saturday, November 10, 2012, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. A win could clinch the SEC West for Alabama. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

After a first half in which Johnny Manziel and Co. did pretty much everything it wanted, the Crimson Tide defense came out of halftime on fire. It forced Texas A&M to go three-and-out for the first time all game, and the offense was going to have some prime field position for a potential go-ahead drive.

And then the Crimson Tide went three-and-out after a 5-yard rush and two incomplete passes.

Alabama added a Jeremy Shelley field goal later in the third quarter to cut Texas A&M's lead to three points, but it simply didn't make the most of a potential momentum shift in its 29-24 loss to the Aggies.

"It was really important that they
got the stops that they got," coach Nick Saban said. "We got a couple of stops on defense
to start the second half and really lost the momentum of the game when
we never moved the ball offensively."

This was nothing new for Alabama in the third quarter. It's been the Crimson Tide's bugaboo all season.

In the third quarter of its last six games, Alabama has just 10 points. Eight of its third-quarter drives have ended in three-and-outs.

"We have discussed it, talked about it, talked about it before this
game," Saban said. "I think that we need to always have something that is a little bit
different that we can go to. People are going to make adjustments at
halftime to what you have been doing."

On the season, Alabama has scored just 37 of its 370 points in the third quarter.

"That's something that we need to
work on and improve," Saban said. "There is no reason for us not to be able to
execute better when we come out in the third quarter."